Wednesday, February 9, 2011

So, why do They Call This Powderface?

Pictured below is Michel Tran, owner of Powderface

With only one other Powderface in existence, I should not feel bad about not hearing about them. All I know is that there were no traditional espresso houses in my neighborhood, and still I was rolling around, hoping I could find a good espresso without having to wheel my chair over the freeway, and give my money to a specific big-name corporate coffee house...

On a stretch of Story Road, near Lucretia, there is a small strip of stores that is just big enough to block from my sight the mega monstrosity that is Wal-Mart. From the back I noticed va banner saying this establishment sells coffee. Be still my heart. An oasis in the desert.

The place is called Powderface. Until I entered the store did I start to comprehend what the name was about.

First, I had to ask what is a beignet

At around $3.50 for three pieces, I ordered a side of plain beignets . The beignet is a treat out of Louisiana, and I did not know what to expect... I looked, however at their wall which is covered with picture after picture of people eating beignet. One thing is true, with the mound of confectioners sugar on the plate, you almost feel wasteful if it did not get all over the place.With my cafe con panna (espresso with unsweetened whipped cream) the beignet was delightful. With these hot, empty pockets of pastry, I was scooping up powdered sugar with a sense of guilt gnawing at me. I then was able to relax, and read my book, while waiting for the caffeine levels in my blood to stabilizeClick here for Yelp reviews

10 comments:

Hi Keith, thanks for always checking out on me, really appreciated ! Oh that looks really yummy. Beignet is actually a french term meaning doughnut with confectioner sugar on it! And if you would like the best espresso, come to France and Italy, am sure you know about this !

Reel Richard, thank you for stopping by. Grand Century was most exciting during CNY. I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning... Powderface is just a block away. Check it out!

Haze, and I would then have to travel back to las Pilipinas to enjoy the best kare kare, halo halo, or lumpia... I could travel the whole world in search of authentic food... We have gifted pinoy cooks right here in San Jose...The baristas and coffee roasters are alright, too

Keith, thanks for commenting on my blog....well, that looks interesting and yummy...if the store is near here, I might try.I have a friend in Belgium who was asking me if beignet is available in America and I answered I didn't know because I didn't know ....now I know what it is.

Our chef Michael Tran discovered beignet living in Louisiana. So, this is a recipe brought from Europe to Louisiana, to here. As hot and delightful as they are, I can only guess how close they are to what a Belgian citizen would call beignet...

Keith, glad you found a place to get your caffeine fix right there in your neighborhood (wish one of those houses on the corner of Chesbro and Santa Teresa was a coffee joint), and the Beignet only sweeten the deal. Now I I know where we can go when I finally visit you. And Gunderson looks like a prison.

About Me

“When two people meet and fall in love, there's a sudden rush of magic. Magic is just naturally present then. We tend to feed on that gratuitous magic without striving to make any more. One day we wake up and find that the magic is gone. We hustle to get it back, but by then it's usually too late, we've used it up. What we have to do is work like hell at making additional magic right from the start. It's hard work, but if we can remember to do it, we greatly improve our chances of making love stay.” Tom Robbins